Improvement in rufflers for sewing-machines



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'ITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

JAMES s. Ence, 0E cAMDEN, N. J., AND JAMES T. STEWART', 0E PEILADEL4 PETA, PA., AsSIeNoEs To JAMES T. STEWART, 0E PE1LADELPE1A,PA.

IMPRQVEIIVIENTIN RUFF-LERS FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification formin g part of Letters .Patent No. l 36,162, dated February 25, 1873.

To all whom t may concern:

the city and 'county of Camden and State of New Jersey, and JAMES T. STEWART, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and `State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful f Improvement in Rufliers for Sewing-Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a clear and exact description of the nature thereof, sufficient` to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to fully understand, make, and use the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a top view of the device embody- `in g our invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Figs. 3 and4 are elevations of the two sides thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in the several gures.

Nature of the Invention.

,This :invention` relates to an improved ruffling attachment for sewing-machines; and

consists in certain combinations of devices, as

`constitute the fixed presser-foot, of a rufiing attachment, which will be suspended over the cloth-plate of the machine by the attachment A' of the arm A to the presser-foot bar prop- At the end of the arm B, opposite to the portion b thereof, there extends at right angles to said arm a plate, D, on which the rufiiing-strip is fed, and having an opening or notch for the passage of the needle. This plate occupies the position of the ordinary presserfoot over the feed, and combines the functions ofza presser-foot and a separator. E represents an elasticholder, which is suspended over the plate D by a spring, F, secured to the arm A, and consists of two arms, F' F',

e j arranged at right-angles to said arm A. `The Be 1tl known that We, JAMES S. HUGS, of

under sides of the forward ends of these arms vare :beveled or rounded at c, and shouldered or notched at d, and the rear of said arms is attached to the spring F so as to cause the beveled and shouldered ends of the holder E to `bear against the plate D, and consequently on the fabric on said plate. G represents a ruffling-finger, which consists of a flat piecel or strip of metal, preferably steel, and arranged in a line at right angles to the arms A B. One end of this linger presses on and moves over the plate D, and its other end is attached to an angular or bent arm, G', secured to one end of the finger-carrier. This carrier consists of two arms, H' H', which extend longitudinally above the arm B of the fixed presser, and are jointed, as at f, to the latter at the end oppo` site to the finger G, the said arms H' H' having a common axis; or one arm may be joint-v` ed to the other arm, and only the latter arm; pivoted to the fixed presser, whereby the arms may be brought together or drawn apart, yet both have a common movement. The form of this carrier facilitates the provision of an extendedspace, C, above the separator, for the accommodation of strips to form wide rufes, frills, or flounces, as the pivot thereof is necessarily distant from the needle longitudinal ly, and a clear horizontal space is left beneath the carrier. The pivoted carrier operates also with less friction and requires a simpler frame than one whichslides in a guide. .At the ends of the arms H' H', opposite to the axis f, there are secured guide-pieces J, which extend in spondingly regulated, suitable screws g being employed to hold the arms in their adjusted positions.

When the device is properly secured to the presser-foot bar'off a sewing-machine, and the Set-screw or other projection of the needle-bar, introduced into the way K, the operation of the machine'will cause said set-screw or pro= jection to reciprocate in the way K, and thereby impart an oscillating motion to the linger G. The fabric is passed under the arm B, and the edge or side of the ruffling-strip introduced under the linger G, which presses against said strip and gathers or rufles the same. The gather or ruffle is forced under the beveled or rounded end of the holder E, and when it reaches the shoulders d it rises and bears against the latter, Which prevents the return or smoothing out of the strip; then the needle descends and sews through the strip and underneath piece, and so much of the rufe is complete. The operation` thus proceeds to completion.

It will be seen that the enlargement'of the Way K decreases the fullness of the rues, inasmuch as the n ger moves in a smaller space, and the contraction of the way increases the fullness of the ruffles, since the nger moves in a larger space.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. The horizontal pivoted miller-carrier H H', composed of twol arms having a common pivot, f, and terminating in parallel oblique bars J J lto form a cam to engage with a driving projection on the needle-bar, as set forth. 2. ThepivotedarmsHEcarryingtheoblique or diagonally-arranged bars J J, and adjustable, as described, to regulate the movement of the ruling-nger.

3. A rufiling attachment composed of a fixed presser-foot A B D, constituting also the frame and separator, an elastic holder, F, a rulingfinger, G, a pivoted miller-carrier, H H', and adjustable parallel cam-bars J J, constructed, arranged, and opcratingsubstantially as herein specified.

The above signed by us this 31st day of December, 1872.

JAMES S. HUGG. JAMES T. STEWART.

Witnesses J o ifN. A; WIEDERSHEIM, MILLARD F. WALTON. 

